Filling-machine.



i F. 1. ENGLEN. FILLING MACHmf, l APPLICATION 4IIIIJD UG. I3. I9I5- 4 SHEETS-SHBET I.

\ Y Patented Jan. 8,1918.

F; I. ENGLEN.

FILLING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED MIG. I's. Isls. I 1,253,018. Patented Jan. 8,1918.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

, F.1. ENGLEN.

FILLING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILEDy AUG. I3. I9I5- Patented Jan. 8,1918,

4 SHEETS-SHEET 3 F. L ENGLEN, mum; mcmns.

APPLICATION FILED AUG-13. i915- l Patented' Jan. 8,1918.

4 guna-sanar 4.

IBEDEB-IGX J. ENGLEN, OF SOUTH OMA-HA, NEBRASKA.

FILLING-MACHINE.

sp'eeinnon or Letters recent.

Patented Jan. s, 1918.

Application tiled August 13, 1915. Serial No. 45,418.

To all whom 'it mayancern.' I

' Be it known that I, FREDERICK J. ENGLEN',

a citizen of the United States, residing at cles with predetermined or measured charges l of a commodity, proposing more particularly 'an improvement upon the broad or general type of machine which is disclosed m my prior U. S. Patent No. 993,230, granted May 23, 1911. 4

The type of machine referred to is saliently characterized by axlevoluble materialcontaining receptacle provided with chargemeasuring anddischarging means; by means for holding the cans ito be filled in relation to said receptacle; and by devices operable at a period of the movement of said receptacle for effectingy the discharge of measured charges of the material into the cans.

The principal objects of the present invention areto `provide a machine having the structural featiires stated which shall be materally simpler in its detailsI of structure and organization than the machine disare coordinated;

closcdin my said prior patent, p

Theabove and other objects and advantages will appear, as the description pro- VAn embodiment of: the invention isillstrated inV the accompanying drawings, wherein-- Figure lis a plan view, mainly diagrammatic, showing the relation of the can-fillapparatus` and can-sealing apparatus the elements by which these apparatuses Fig. 2 is anenlarged detail side elevation Vof rthe canffillng apparatus; i

Fig 3 is a plan view thereof `parts shown in section;

'Fig 4 isfpa detail vertical sectionallview with certain p ofthe can-filling apparatus;

"Fig 5 is a detail perspective view of one of the charge-measuring and depositing der j Figli is a detail horizontal sectional view vices i .the same ;v

Fig. 7 isa detail perspective view' showf `the devices employedV forl guiding the,

ansupon the conveyer by which said upon a centrally located upright shaft 2 by cans are transferred to the sealing-mecha-V nism.

Similar characters designate corresponding partsA throughout the several views.

In the accompanying drawings I have shown amachne which'is capable'of handling materials of' different kinds. That form of the invention, however, is particularly adapted to fulfil the vrequirements of a filling machine for ldepositing measured quantities of powdery substances into cans or receptacles. It will be understood, hovvever, that the embodiment of the invention herein disclosed is given essentially as an example 'and that modifications and changes 70 may be made in the construction and arrangement of the parts whereby the invention maybe applied or adapted tothe best advantage according to the circumstances and needs of each particular case. The sub` stance with'which the cans are' to be filled is' contained in a revoluble reservoir l shaped in cross-section to provide an Aannular ,y trough as indicated inxFig. 4 and mounted which it is revolved. The reservoir -1 supports from its under side, by means of hangers 3, an annular shelf or platform 4, upon which the cans to rbe filled are disposed. The bottom of the reservoinl is provided at appropriate intervals with charge-measur ing and depositing devices, the details of .Which are shown in Figs. 4 and 5. These devices consist essentiallyof ahollow frusto` conicalmember '.5 having an attachment 90 iange 6 for attachment to the bottom of the reservoir 1 and having its lower end controlled by a valve or closure plate 7. In the embodiment shown the valve'or 'closure 7 is pivotal] y mounted, being carried by a lpintle 8 journaled in ears 9 arranged at one side of arranged on the pintles 8.' The valves 7 are 10o...

opened at a period'of the rotation of the reservoir 1 and for this purpose each, valve has a lever arm 11 projecting beyond the pintle 8 and carrying a friction ro1ler 12 which engages with a cam bar 13 extending 105 preferably thr.m1gh,out one-third of a circle. The valves-T are-normally closed by springs -7 connected 4tgyilthe lever arms 11 and tothe hangers. jorflparts carriedvby said ha ers. Darmg.the ,per1odwhei1.the valves are 1 10 openv and the char es of material are being discharged from tie members 5 the upper 'ends of said members are maintained closed,

with-the` hoppers 17 a generally annular frame 19 is employed, which said frame is suitably1 supportedy from the hangers of the ledge or platform 4- and is provided at intervals corresponding to the intervals of the hopper 17 and in alinement witlrsaid hoppers, with depressions 20. The depressions 20 have at one end thereof a portion 2()a conforming to the outline or curvature of the can and beyond said ortion 20" they are o'f straight extent as at 0", theportions 20h of the depression 2O extending t0 the outer circumference of the frame 19.

The .can-filling apparatus is preferably arranged at one end of a table 21 and a eansealing apparatus, designated generally as 22, may be arranged at th other end of said table in'whieh case the filled cans are passed from-the filling apparatus to the sealing apparatus by a conveyer 23 arranged longituinally at one side of the table 21 and eX- tending tangentially from the annular path of 'movement of the rotating elements of the cans-filling apparatus. A can-feeding mechanism 2l'of any suitable construction, and

'shown merely diagrammatically in the drawings, is arranged atthe opposite side of the table 21'and approximately half a Vcircledistant from the point at whichthe conveyer 23 adjoins the can-filling appa` ratus.

As the reservoir fl rotates the cansjare successively fed to the ledge. or platform 4 and into the depressions 20 of the frame 19 by the can-feeding apparatus 24. During the movement of# the cans between the canfeeding apparatus 24 and the conveyor 23 the valves 7 are opened bv the stationary cam 13, whereby the charges of material in the members 5 are deposited in the cans. the valves 7 being held open for a sufficiently long` yperiod to insure that/'the' entire charge shall pass from each member 5 into the can Vinregistry therewith. During the period in lieaams Shortly rior to the passage of the members 5 from t 1c plate 14 the valves 7 pass beyond the cam 13 and are closed by their springs 7". Thereafter the members 5 pass from4 under. 'the plate 11 and new charges of they material flow into the said members from the reservoir 1 and during the continued revolution of s'aid reservoir are supported upon the valves 7 until the period is reached during which said valves are moved to open position. v

The conveyer 23 to which reference has been made may he of any construction suitable for the purposes in view, but it is preferably an endless convcyer and, assuch, is shown merely diagrammaI tically in the drawings. An operative connection between the upper stretch of the conveyer 23 and the Iplatform -t is established by an intermediate shelf 25 (Figs. 1 and 7) having at one end an edge adjoiningr and conforming to the platform ll and having its other end overhanging or immediately adjoining the upper stretch of the eonveyer 23. The shelf 25 extends tangentially from the platform 4 and carries a air of parallel guide bars 26 and 27, the latter extending under theframe 19 (Fig. 3) and serving to engage each can successively brought into relation thereto and to guide thesame upon the shelf Obviously each 'can that is moved upon the shelf 25 acts as a follower upon the can in advance thereof on said shelf, whereby the causare pushed in step by step fashion from the. shelf 25 upon the conveyer 23.

During the movement of the cans between the can fillingr apparatus and the sealing apparatus the can tops are deposited or imposed upoh the can bodies by any suitable means /not shown) and the cans are there# upon ready ,for the action of the sealing mechanism. w

The can-sealing' mechanism which, per se, forms no part of the present invens tion, is 'preferably of an improved construction which is shown in a general way and comprises a rotatable cylin-v drical drum 28 arranged in concentric relation within a wall29 of annular outline and provided at ils lower endl with a 'circumsoribing can-supl'iorting ledge or platform '30. The drum 28 is mounted upon and rov ros 28 and `to provide for the discharge of the cans from said space. The Vcan-sealing mechanism is arranged at one side of the conveyer 23, and it istherefore necessary to provide mea-nsv for transferring the cans `from the conveyer` 23 ,to the can-sealing V mechanisi'n. This means is preferably of the construction shown in the drawin and, as shown,` consists of-a` pair of vertical guide walls 2.3 which at oney end thereof overhang the conveyer 23 and which for"` an initial portion of their length extend at anangle from saiduconvever, At one side of the conveyer 23 the walls 33 support` a bottom plate 34 upon which the cans are advanced from said conveyor. Beyond the bottom plate 34 the walls 33 are bent at an angle, as at 33%, in concel'itric relation to a revolvin transfer table 35, which forms a continuation of the plate 34 and which transfers the cans from ltheplate 34 to asimilar plate 36, the-.latter ledge or platform 30.

by lovers arranged at the endl of the table extending from the table 35 to the ledge or platform 30 which circumscribes the lower emi ot' the drum 28. The cans are directed from the can-sealing mechanism by a pair of vertical walls 37 provided with a bottom plate 38 adjoining and extending from the During the movement of the conveyer 23 the cans will be deducted by the bars 33 upon the plate 34 and each canso deflected will act as a follower upon the can or cans inv advance thereo't' and will push the same through a distance equal to its diameter. Thus the ejecting` power of the conveyer 23 used to ei'ect the transfer of the cans from said couveyer to the can-sealing mechanism, this being possible by the reduction of friction due to the free revolution of the table and to the concentric relation of said table and the angular portion 33 of the walls 33.

Any approved means may be` employed to op ve the can-filling apparatus and the can-se ing l'nechanism. For example and as shown in Fig. 1, the upright shafts 2 and are connected by bevel gearing 4() Ywith longitudinal drive shafts 41 and 42 geared by belt gearing '43 to a line shaft or motor shaft (not shown). The gearing 43, in each instance, includes asa art thereof a suitable clutch mechanism 44, )y which the respective shafts 4l and 42 may be put into or out ofi-elution with the source of driving power. The'cl'utclies 4A are convenientlvcontrolled 21. By virtue of the clutches 44. it is possible to operate the can-filling mechanism indej'ieniilently of thc sealing mechanism or to operate the can sealing mechanism independently of the filling mechanism, or to operate both simultaneously, as in the' manner above described. Where the can-filling mechanism is operated independently of the sealing mechanism the walls 33 may, if desired,

' and all the Abe tem orarilyremoved and the cans may" be taken rom the conveyer 23 in any suitable manner.

The conveyor 23,.as alsorevolving table 35,-,` may or may not be positively driven; It

- is practical for these elementsy to run free, as

shownin the drawings, in which case the conveyer will have a ste by stepl operation ower for e ecting t of the cans rom the `can-filling apparatus to the can-sealing apparatus will be developed from the ejectlngpower of the can-fillin apparatus. In this way the construction o e transfer the machineas regards the correlation of the filling apparatus and sealing a paratus is rendered exceedingly simple an its operation in this regard is highly efficienty and economical.` V Having` fully described my' invention, I claimj j 1. In a`.can filling apparatus, in combination, a revolving reservoir, an annular can platform or ledge revoluble therewith, a`

plurality 'of discharge members projecting from said reservoir, spring closed valvesnormally closing the discharge ends of said members and movable horizontally across said discharge ends, and a fixed arcuate cam bar arranged below said reservoir and extending through a fraction of a circle, said valves having horizontal lever arms for enL gagement with said cam bar and being opened in consequence yof such engagement.

2. In a can filling apparatus, in combination, a revolving reservoir, a plurality of discharge members projecting ',from said reservoir, valves normally closing the discharge ends of said members and movable horizontally across said discharge ends, and

a hopper inclosing each discharge'member osg hangers and acting to hold said valves closed and a fixed arcuate cam bar arranged 4 below said reservoir` and extending through a fraction of a circle for engagement with said lever arms to eiect the opening of said valves. v

'4.' In a" can filling apparatus, in combination, a revolving reservoir, an annular can platform or ledge, hangers supporting said platform or` ledge from and below said reservoir, a plulality'ofndischarge members projecting from said reservoir, valves normally closing said discharge members,

Vnso j springs connected to said hangers and acting to hold said valves closed, and an annular frame arranged above said platform or ledge and secured to said hangers, said f'ame having can receiving depressions.

5. In a can filling apparatus, in combination, a revolving reservoir, an annular can platform or ledge revoluble therewith, a plurality ot' discharge members projecting from said reservoir, valves having pivotal supports externally of said discharge mem; bers and movable horizontally ,across the ends ot said discharge members said valves havingr springs which Aetl'ect their normal closure and having horizontal lever arms be? yond their pivots and a fixed arcuate cam bar arranged below said reservoir and extending through a fraction of a circle for engagement with said lever arms to effect the opening of said valves. I

6. In a can filling' apparatus, in combination, a revolving reservoir, an annular can platform or ledge revoluble therewith, a

plurality of discharge members projecting from said reservoir valves havin(r nvotal supports externally of said discharge members and movable horizontally acrossthe ends of said discharge members, said valves having springs which effect their normal closure and having horizontal lever arms beyond their pivots, a fixed arcuate cam. bar arranged below said reservoir and extending through a fraction of a circle for engagement with said lever arms to effect the opening of said valves, and a hopper inclosing eachV discharge member and having a horizontal slot through which the valve of said member is movable.

In testimbny whereof I have hereunto set my hand in presence of two subscribing witnesses.

FREDERICK J. ENGLEN.

Vitnesses THEO. Hnxns, E. P. MURPHY. 

